The Children's Zoo
by destiny's sweet melody
Summary: Adults just love children, but ninja children are just too unruly to be kept in homes. So what else can a kindhearted zookeeper do but offer them a place to stay? Kid!fic
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, except my OC. I don't even own the plot because I got the idea from an episode of Kids Next Door.

A/N: I know I should be focusing on finishing my other fics but this idea came to me today when I watched the episode of K.N.D. Operation Z.O.O. Besides, I always wanted to write a fic of when they were little kids. They were so cute!

So this takes place in their academy days, they're around 8 or 9, I couldn't really decide. But it's after the Uchiha massacre and Sasuke's fame is pretty cemented.

It has touches of NaruHina and SasuSaku, but it's mostly on the girl's part since one is oblivious and the other is coldhearted.

* * *

**Summary:** Adults just love children, but ninja children are just _too _unruly to be kept in homes. So what else can a kindhearted zookeeper do but offer them a place to stay?

* * *

**The Children's Zoo**

**Chapter One**

He was brooding again.

Sakura just loved watching Sasuke brood all throughout lunchtime. He was just too cool, she could barely stand it! Unfortunately, most of the other girls in her class loved watching Sasuke brood too. Scratch that, _all_ of the girl's in her class did. She knew because they were all standing in a semi-circle around her, pushing each other to try to get a better look of the prodigy who preferred to glare at the distance than eat during lunch.

Well, all except one. One really weird one with even weirder taste.

Sakura rolled her eyes and let them wander away from her idol and towards a tiny girl with blue-black hair and pearly white eyes. She was standing behind a tree spying on a blond boy who ate his lunch alone.

'_Oh, Hinata,'_ Sakura thought as she saw Hinata look at the boy then at the bento lunch box in her hands then back at the boy. It was obvious what she was trying to gather up courage to do: share her lunch with him. _'How childish.'_

Then she snapped to attention. She stared at her bento box and then towards Sasuke. She smiled. Hinata was a genius! What better way to make herself stand out from his legion of fan girls than by walking right up to him and sharing her lunch? Not even Ino, the bravest person she knew, could bring herself to communicate directly with Sasuke. She would become imprinted in his mind and now that she thought about it sharing lunch was a rather intimate gesture.

She took careful steps out of the crowd so as not to draw attention to herself. She was halfway towards her goal when she heard the girls begin to complain. But as angry as they were, they still could not bring themselves to approach Sasuke in order to kick her butt. In that moment, they were all jealous of Sakura and her courage. Inner Sakura could feel her pride grow.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun!" She cheerfully greeted the minute she reached him so she couldn't chicken out.

He didn't stop staring into the distance. A knot took up residence in her stomach but she tried. "Nice weather we're having, huh?"

He made a grunting noise. It could have been an agreement or he could have been clearing his throat. She decided to remain positive and chose the former.

"I was wondering if you'd like to share lunch with me. You see, I noticed you didn't have one and my mom made me a lot so I couldn't possibly eat it all! I'd love it if you shared it with me." She said in a rush, and something amazing happened; he looked right at her!

It seemed as he was about to tell her something. Her knees went weak and her eyesight got blurry. She was sure this would be the greatest moment of her life, and then her world went black.

* * *

Hinata hated her weakness. Maybe her father was right, maybe she _was_ worthless. What else could explain why she couldn't even walk up to Naruto and offer him some of her lunch? It would probably be a nice change from the chips he usually ate.

There was no reason to be afraid of him; he had never been anything but kind to everyone - when he wasn't pulling pranks on them. All she wanted to do was become his friend. The truth was that even though she desperately wanted nothing more than to be able to call him her friend, they had never said anything more than "Hi" to each other. Or at least he did.

The first time he had spoken directly to her it had been an early morning. It was so early she was the only one in the classroom, other than Iruka of course. Surprisingly, Naruto was the next person to walk in. Surprising, because he was usually the last one. He loudly greeted Iruka and had an argument about eating healthier.

For the first ever she saw him become deathly quiet and she was the cause. When he saw that he wasn't completely alone he stopped arguing about why kids should not be forced to eat broccoli and just stared blankly at her. Then his smile reappeared and he ran right up to her seat and introduced himself in his usual way: boldly declaring himself as the future Hokage.

It literally took her an entire minute, sixty seconds of deathly silence, just to stutter out her name. When he noticed that she was not even looking him in the eye he told her she was weird and left her alone as the rest of the students poured in.

The second time he spoke to her, he was trying to get someone to join him in throwing water balloons from the roof of the academy during lunch. It was a two-man job, he said, and all she would have to do was keep watch to make sure they didn't get caught.

"I-I can't." She had managed to say as she stared at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. He looked almost disappointed in her answer and left to find if anybody else would join him. Nobody did but he threw the water balloons anyway. He promptly got caught and had to clean all the bathrooms in the school, but he had done it.

The truth was that part of her, a really big part of her, wished that she had joined him. Not just because it was a chance to spend time with Naruto, but because it must have taken so much courage to do it. She wanted to have courage like him; she wanted his courage to rub off on her.

Yet here she was, hiding behind a tree when what she really wanted was to be sitting right beside him. Still, she enjoyed the moments when she could watch him like this. That's when she noticed the cherry blossom petals blowing on the wind. They were filling the space between her and Naruto and for a second she thought it looked just like a dream.

Then she remembered, _'There aren't any sakura trees around here!'_ She watched as the blond she was watching suddenly slumped over and she dropped her bento box as she ran towards him.

"N-Naruto-ku…" She couldn't speak and she met the ground.

* * *

Iruka knew something was wrong.

It was five minutes after lunch ended and no one was in his class! He knew that if he told anybody else they would just tell him to relax because kids tended to not want to go back to class, but he knew his students. He knew how each and every one of them worked. He knew when and in what order they all came back from lunch.

First was Shino. He was usually two minutes early and would just sit in his seat quietly, probably communicating with his bugs, until class started.

Next was Hinata, she was always perfectly punctual. Only a couple of seconds before lunch officially ended she would already be in her seat ready to learn the next lesson he had to teach.

Then Sasuke would come in. He was technically a couple of seconds late (that's how observant Iruka was) but since the minute had not changed nothing could be done to punish him. He would just sit in his seat and ignore everyone else's existence. All the other girls in his class would file in right after him and ignore that anyone but Sasuke existed.

Most of the boys would follow shortly after, most of them.

Two minutes after lunch ended, Shikamaru and Chouji would nonchalantly walk in; Chouji would still be munching on chips and Shikamaru would mumble about how being on time was too troublesome. Iruka was easy on them and never pointed out that they were tardy.

However, he couldn't ignore the lateness of Kiba and Naruto. They were always five minutes late (Naruto was a couple of seconds later than Kiba and his pup); Iruka knew that the only reason they were always late was because they were the biggest free spirits. They hated being contained and tried to stay outside of the classroom as long as they could.

But now no one was there, and it wasn't possible that they had all simultaneously developed a rebellious streak. He knew something was wrong and he couldn't just sit still any longer. He resolutely marched towards the yard of the school, most of the students ate there, and was shocked by what he saw… nothing!

There was absolutely no one there. His entire class was missing!

* * *

A/N: So there's the first chapter! I want to do this in three parts, the kidnapping, the kids waking up and the big reveal, and then the escape. Or, well, it might come out different.

I really hope I represented Hinata's feelings well. She's not quite in love with him yet, or even like like yet, but just admires him at the moment. He's exactly how she wishes to be which is why she wants to hang out with him. I like how her feelings for him were shown to evolve, not just "boom!" I'm in love with you. Which is why I really hope I did it well.

Sakura on the other hand has already decided she likes Sasuke, which is how Ino presented it to us in the anime.

The reason I had Sakura know Hinata, and her feelings, was because in the chunin exams she not only knew who she was but was able to tell Naruto that Hinata had always been watching him, which means that she knew about Hinata and her habits, at least. They're not really friends, but they acknowledge each other's existence at least.

Please review! Criticism is accepted as long as it's constructive and not just a mindless flame.

- Destiny's sweet melody


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to everyone who followed or alerted this story!

But, I would appreciate a review. I had about five notifications in one day and not even one review in five. So, you can imagine my worry.

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**The Children's Zoo**

**Chapter Two**

Naruto was sure that this had to be a dream. Life just wasn't this _awesome_.

He had just walked into Ichiraku when old man Teuchi told him that because he was his favorite customer he could have all the ramen he wanted to eat for the rest of his life for free! Ayame placed a bowl of his favorite right in front of him and he almost cried. Life was beautiful!

He was about to wholeheartedly down his first of many, many bowls when he noticed something strange. The ramen didn't smell like ramen. Actually, it smelled a little like how Kiba smelled; he knew from the few times they had snuck out of the academy together. It was actually Akamaru's dog shampoo that the smell came from, he just had it too because he carried his dog on his head.

"My ramen has dog shampoo?" Naruto asked groggily as the ramen shop faded from his sight. He could feel that he was lying on his back on a cold, hard surface. There was something on him; that's what smelled like dog shampoo.

He looked towards his chest and saw a splash of pink. He blinked quickly. It couldn't be, but it was. There was a girl sleeping peacefully with him! He couldn't see her face but he knew from her hair color that she was in his class. What was her name?

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto remembered and she stirred in her sleep.

She turned over so that she was facing him and she smiled sweetly, "Sasuke-kun," she mumbled.

Naruto sweat dropped. Of course she was thinking about that bastard Sasuke. Why couldn't he meet _one_ girl who wasn't completely gaga over the Uchiha?

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she noticed a pair of cerulean blue eyes staring right back at her. Those weren't Sasuke's eyes, which was weird seeing as she had just been on a date with him. Yet here she was, laying on another guy… on that dead-last!

"Naruto!" She quickly sat up and kicked him away, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I don't know," He answered honestly, "I was eating lunch when all of the sudden I couldn't keep my eyes open, then I was at Ichiraku but my ramen smelled like a dog and then I was here!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I don't know!"

"Oh would you two shut up!" Kiba's voice sounded out and Akamaru barked in agreement, "It's bad enough that I'm stuck with the mute here but now I gotta listen to you two."

Sakura and Naruto looked around. They were in a cage! And all around them their classmates were also stuck in cages with varying numbers of kids in them. Some were unconscious but most were already waking up. Kiba was in the cage directly to their right and he was with Shino.

"I am not mute," Shino corrected, "I just prefer to not waste my energy with frivolous things like yelling."

"That was an insult, wasn't it?" Kiba shook his fist and Akamaru growled.

"Oh, be quiet! You think you have it bad? I'm here stuck with Lazy and Chubbo!" Ino cried from a cage two to the left. "And why does White Eyes over there get to be with Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura turned her attention toward the cage that Ino was pointing at. It was right in front of her. _'How did I miss it?'_

There was Sasuke, sitting nonchalantly in the center of the cage with his eyes closed as if in meditation. The cage was almost empty, except for the tiny girl sitting in the corner trying to hide behind her knees.

"Hinata! What do you think you're doing?"

"I-I'm s-sorry," It was amazing that Sakura could actually hear her. She covered her ears as the other girls began complaining about her presence as well.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Hinata stiffened as she heard Naruto defend her, "It's not her fault she's being tortured by being kept with that bastard."

"Tortured?!" All the girls minus Hinata exclaimed simultaneously, they tried to attack him from their cages. Unfortunately for him, one of them could actually punch him with all their might upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for, Sakura-chan?"

"For calling Sasuke-kun a punishment," she replied through gritted teeth.

"So, you're all awake already?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

They all turned to see a man in his twenties standing in the center of all the cages, even Sasuke deemed it important enough to open his eyes. The man had brown hair that reached his shoulder blades, a tan long-sleeved shirt, long black shorts and traditional ninja boots. The most important thing was that on his head was a Konoha forehead protector.

"You're from Konoha?" Shikamaru asked.

Ino looked confused for a second but then a fire appeared in her eyes. "If you're a member of our village, why did you kidnap us?"

"Kidnap you? What are you talking about? I didn't kidnap you." The man answered.

"Then what do you call a stranger taking you away and locking you in a cage?" Sakura's knuckles were white from gripping her cage's bars so hard.

"A stranger? Well, that can be easily remedied. My name is Atsushi; I am a jounin of Konoha. And locking you in cages? Well, where else do you put the stars of a zoo?"

…

…

"A ZOO!"

Atsushi cringed from the general cry of outrage around him. The only ones that didn't yell were the Uchiha, the Hyuga and the Aburame. Even the Nara kid, as lazy as he had observed him to be, found the energy to yell.

"Yes, a zoo."

"W-why?" Atsushi was glad that the other kids had decided to be quiet at the moment she had spoken. In his weeks of observation, he had come to enjoy the Hyuga girl's gentle voice.

"Well, my dear, before I arrived at Konoha I was part of a family of animal watchers. My job was to overlook the safety and well-being of animals in the wild. Sadly, my family and I disagreed on one thing. I felt that the only way animals could be truly safe was by keeping them in cages where they couldn't hurt themselves or anyone around them."

"So what, weirdo?" Naruto demanded.

"When I arrived in Konoha, since the differences between my family and me were irreconcilable, I sought to start a life where I would have nothing to do with wild animals." Atsushi continued with a slight edge to his voice, he didn't enjoy being interrupted. "I showed an incredible aptitude for ninjutsu, despite not being raised around ninja and quickly became a ninja and rose in rank faster than most of those in my graduating class. I enjoyed my job, I made friends, and I even met a lovely girl that I could fall in love with."

"Then what's the problem?" This time it was Ino, he didn't enjoy her voice all that much.

"She is an instructor at your academy. One day she invited me to eat lunch with her and I agreed. When I got there however I realized just what ninja kids truly are like," the kids held their breath to hear his story, "Filthy, unruly beasts!"

"HEY!" Once again, all but three complained loudly.

"You were just like the animals that I tried so hard to escape. I tried to convince myself that I was wrong, I observed you just like my family taught me to but all I did was confirm my suspicions. This class, above all others, is like a pack of wild animals! You're also the most promising."

"Then why are we here?" Naruto shouted. Atsushi wasn't sure why all the blondes had infuriating voices in this class.

"Because, people love you, but I know for a fact that the only way for you to be safe is to be kept in cages. Don't worry though, in a couple of months, once you're trained properly, I'll let the entire village know where you are so they can come see you."

This time he was met by silence. The shock of his words alone made them hold their tongues.

"Now eat up and rest, we start training in two hours!" That was when they noticed the bags at his feet. He threw one into each cage and left, happily whistling a tune none of them knew.

* * *

Hinata cringed as the bag fell two feet in front of her. It popped open and out came a weird, round substance. If she wasn't mistaken, it looked a little like what Kiba fed his pet at lunch sometimes.

"Dog food?" She cried, or at least what she called crying, everyone else would call it whispering.

"He expects us to eat that junk?" Sasuke stared at the bag venomously.

"I don't know, it's not that bad." Naruto answered between bites while Sakura looked like she was about to throw up just from watching him.

"N-Naruto-kun, I d-don't think you should e-eat that." She said as loudly as she could, which was still not much by average standards. Her cheeks burned when he stopped to look at her, his gaze was intense and serious.

"Do I know you?" He asked and her cheeks burned more. He didn't even know who she was!

"Y-yes, I'm H-Hinata."

"Oh, yeah! You're that weird girl who always looks away when I talk to her!" He said happily, he was proud he remembered, and she did just as he said.

_That_ was what he thought of her? She could almost cry! She tried so hard to be strong like him and that was what he saw her as!

"You okay over there?" Naruto asked the tiny girl. Not only did she look scared and unhealthily red but he wanted to be nice to her. He remembered that she was the only person who didn't actively put him down. Maybe she did it behind his back, it wouldn't be the first time he met someone like that, but until he proved that, she was a nice person!

"Y-yes," She managed to say, and was proud that she didn't cry. Her head was starting to feel woozy though, and she wondered if maybe the fact that her face was so red it felt like it was radiating heat had anything to do with it.

"Hey!" Ino shouted and everyone turned to her, "What are we going to do?"

"You know, you're shrieking isn't helping anybody." Shikamaru drawled.

"What did you say?"

"In fact, it's distracting me from planning our escape."

"You're going to plan our escape?" Sakura asked, incredulously.

"Of course he is!" Chouji declared resolutely.

Kiba huffed, "That's the only thing missing. Now I have to put my fate in the hands of someone whose grades are almost as bad as Naruto's."

"Hey!" Naruto cried, feeling slightly betrayed. He knew that Kiba didn't think that much of him, but he thought he might be a little nicer to him considering how many times they had pulled pranks together.

"One would think that you would be more concerned about formulating a plan to escape than throwing petty insults." Shino calmly said and Kiba growled at him. He couldn't wait to get out of that cage so he would never have to be anywhere near the Aburame again!

"Right," Sasuke agreed, "Do you really think that you can get us out of here, Nara?"

"I do," Shikamaru nodded solemnly; looking the most serious anybody had ever seen him.

"Then of course we trust you, Shikamaru!" Sakura practically yelled, making sure that Sasuke saw that _she_ was the first to support his decision.

Ino glared at her ex-best friend then turned to Shikamaru with a "Humph!" She sent him a look that threatened his life if he didn't get them out of there but he simply ignored her. Choosing to sit down cross-legged and putting his hands together weirdly, with the fingertips touching each other to make a circle.

The minutes dragged and Ino began to tap her foot impatiently and she overheard Chouji mumble something unflattering about her under his breath. She knew he was fiercely protective of Shikamaru and bit back all the insults she could think of; not that it stopped the less cultured of her classmates, which surprisingly did _not_ include Naruto or Kiba.

Suddenly, Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked focused. He seemed almost impressive, not that she would ever tell him.

"_Well,_" She dragged the 'l' and crossed her arms over her chest as if to emphasize her impatience.

"Right," Shikamaru announced and everyone quit complaining, "This is what we have to do."

* * *

A/N: Ha-ha! Sakura just imprinted onto Naruto like a mother hen!

I wonder if anybody noticed how I placed the kids in cages. Aside from the obvious Ino-Shika-Cho combo. Cookies to whoever can figure it out, although it will be revealed next chapter!

Little note, not that it affects the plot, but Atsushi means Pure Ambition, just so you can know a little about his character.

I don't want to be _that_ type of author, so I won't bribe you for reviews. However, I will **make a deal with you**. If I get at least three reviews before Monday, I will post the final chapter on Monday night. If not, then it will be posted on Friday as planned.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear from you!

- Destiny's sweet melody


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Ok, you guys kept your end of the bargain, so I'm keeping mine. Luckily, most of it was done by Friday. A little late in the day, but here it is, the final chapter of **The Children's Zoo!**

* * *

**The Children's Zoo**

**Chapter Three**

"Are you ready?" Shikamaru asked.

Hinata desperately wanted to say no. Was about to, before Sasuke beat her to it. Responding in his usual grunt that meant an affirmative.

Sasuke pulled the bag of dog food into the very center of the cage, and when he started doing hand signs, she couldn't help but press her back into the bars of the cage. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The scent of the kibbles burning was very strange, she couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at it. Very quickly, the fire consumed the bag and panic rushed through her. What if Shikamaru was wrong? What if the cage wasn't wired to detect fires? What if Atsushi didn't care? What if the fire spread and she was burned to a crisp? What if -

_Beep beep!_

She was drenched, suddenly, as a sprinkler system descended from a hidden panel on the roof of the cage. It was icy cold and she shivered involuntarily. But it was worth it when the emergency lock release activated and the cage opened of its own will.

"Hurry up!" She heard Ino cry and she nearly stumbled over her own feet in her haste to escape the cage.

Phase one was complete, but the alarm was sure to alert Atsushi about their escape attempt. They had to be quick about it. Sasuke had already gotten the rope down from tire swing in the yard (she was reminded of monkeys at the zoo she went to once; she had enough pride to be insulted) was already running towards Shikamaru's cage with one end. Quickly, she grabbed the other end and ran towards Naruto's.

Once she was there, however, she hesitated. Why was she always so nervous around him? He had never done anything mean to her. Why couldn't she just hand him the rope? She closed her eyes and stuck her hand with the rope in.

The rope was yanked roughly from her. "Come on, Hinata, we're on a tight schedule!" Sakura declared.

"I'm sorry," Hinata murmured and stepped back to watch the plan unfold. There was really nothing else for her to do.

Both ends of the rope were tied around their bags of dog food. Then Chouji said, "Expansion!" and he grew about two sizes! She stared wide-eyed at his transformation. She knew from her father that the Akimichi clan's secret jutsu had something to do with growing. According to him, the current head could grow larger than the Hokage tower.

Chouji must be really strong if he could already use his clan's secret jutsu, she thought sadly, seeing as she had yet to master the kaiten or any of her clan's other special jutsu. Chouji grabbed his bag and pulled with all his might!

It took about ten seconds before the bars in the cage before her started creaking and then finally bent enough for Naruto and Sakura to slip through.

"Okay, that's good," Shikamaru stopped Chouji's pulling, and he gratefully fell to his knees, shrinking to a little under his usual weight. "Now, Naruto, go pick the lock on Kiba's cage."

"Hey, why his first?" Ino demanded angrily.

"Because Kiba is the only other one that can pick a lock and we have a lot of cages to open, if you hadn't noticed." He replied. Ino pouted and Kiba boasted about being the hero.

"I can be of use as well." Shino said suddenly, once the door to their cage opened.

"_You_ can pick a lock?" Kiba asked incredulously.

"In a way." He replied cryptically. Before anyone could question him further he crossed over to the next cage. As he passed her, Hinata swore she could hear a buzzing noise.

Now that she was standing in the center of all the cages she could see signs on top of each one.

_Dojutsu Users_ was printed on top of the one she woke up in. Now it made sense why she was paired with Sasuke. They were the only ones in the class with eye techniques, the Byakugan and the Sharingan.

Over the one Shikamaru was in, _Traditional Combination_ was printed.

She was curious especially of the pairing of Shino and Kiba. Those two were completely different and it made no sense to have them together. _Animal Techniques_, it read. Wait, that made no sense. Kiba for sure, but what about Shino? Then she remembered the buzzing noise...

But what about... she looked at the cage directly across from hers.

"Average, run of the mill shinobi candidates!" She jumped at the sound of the angry voice suddenly beside her. "Doesn't this guy know I'm the future Hokage?"

The burning in her face and accompanying dizzy feeling was back. How had he gotten so close without her noticing? She wasn't that bad of a shinobi. He must just be better than anyone gives him credit for.

It was less than ten minutes, but everyone was out of their cages, now that she paid attention. But that was as far as Shikamaru's plan got. And now that they were relatively safe, no one knew what to do, and they were scattering. Some of the girls were running away. There was no way they knew where the exit was. They were just going to get themselves lost!

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Sakura demanded.

"You're going to get us all caught!" Ino added.

"We don't even know where he is." Sasuke inputted, obviously angry at the fact that he was just as lost as the rest of them.

Wait! There _was_ something she could do. "Byakugan!" She hadn't mastered it yet. She couldn't use it for very long and she couldn't see very far. But in this case it was enough. "There! He's coming from the east. He's about three minutes away."

Everyone was staring at her. Of course, that was about the most she had ever spoken in their presence.

"Whoa! What happened to your face?" Naruto pointed and she resisted the urge to curl into herself. She knew the veins around her eyes at the moment were less than flattering but she couldn't help it.

She did not have the voice to respond, so instead she simply deactivated her bloodline limit.

"Hide now!" Sasuke ordered and no one complained.

She was halfway to a cluster of bushes when she looked back and saw Naruto - alone and looking around confused. She couldn't just leave him there. She had more courage than that!

She ran back to him and had just grabbed onto his arm to pull him towards the bushes, when Atsushi landed in front of them. Obviously she miscalculated. Or he was faster than she expected. Either way, they were in trouble.

"Now then, what's this? Do either of you want to explain all this?" Atsushi asked through gritted teeth. There was a look in his eyes that sent a shiver down her spine. He looked right at her. "Well, do you? I thought you were the _good_ one!"

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Naruto stepped in front of her in order to block her from his view. She felt her heart flutter curiously, but ignored it in favor of her fear. There was no way either of them could stand a chance against a jounin.

Obviously, Atsushi thought so as well. "Stay out of it, you brat!" He shouted and backhanded Naruto so hard he slid a few feet away.

Now, there was nothing between them. She froze, and felt her heart jump into her throat. What could she do? How could she get out of this? She knew the others hadn't gotten very far. They must be there, watching, and none of them would do anything to save her. But she didn't blame them. She wasn't friends with any of them, and even if she were she wouldn't want them to get hurt because of her.

A gasp of surprise, more than pain, escaped her lips as he wrapped his right hand around her throat. "I want to know where the others are." He said it very calmly, enunciating each syllable, as if she would understand it better.

It was hopeless. She couldn't tell him even if she wanted to, and she didn't want to. She was taught better than to betray a fellow villager. Especially to a psychopath like him.

"Hey!" Naruto declared, pain lacing his every breath, "I told you, to leave her alone!" He struggled to his feet, and prepared to charge at Atsushi.

She wanted to tell him not to. She wanted to tell him there was no point and he should just run away. Maybe if he found his way to the village and told somebody they could save her. Surely, he meant to hold her for information.

But then there was no point, because Atsushi was screaming and she fell to the ground. She felt something warm on her face, and it wasn't until she saw the kunai impaled in his arm that she realized it was blood.

Her hands flew to her face, and somehow they muffled her scream as she tried to wipe off the blood. Naruto, who was already in the process of charging, came to a dead stop beside her. It wasn't him, it couldn't have been him, she knew that, but it wasn't any of the students either. So who could it be?

"What do you think you're doing," She heard a new voice say, and killer intent made each word feel like a blow, "To _my_ students?"

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cheered, as said man landed in front of them.

He turned to look at them, and at the sight of them he smiled gently. "Do me a favor kids. Close your eyes until I say so."

Hinata made no argument. By the sounds she heard, she was certain it was better she not see what he did to Atsushi.

* * *

If, for one second, Hinata thought that something would change after the zoo fiasco, she was mistaken. She was still shy and quiet, and everyone pretended she didn't exist. Everything was back to normal, and she supposed that she should only be glad that she wasn't stuck in a cage somewhere.

Besides, Iruka-sensei, at least, told her how proud he was at the bravery she displayed. It was those little bits of happiness that she found in unexpected places each day that helped her keep going.

And there was one other thing. Now, every time she saw Naruto she wasn't scared. Well, she was still nervous, but now that same anxious feeling was accompanied by a twisty feeling in her stomach that felt strangely pleasant. She wasn't sure what that was, so she decided she would just have to keep watching him in order to investigate.

* * *

He was brooding again. Sakura just loved to watch Sasuke brood!

He always looked so handsome when he watched the distance so intently. And today was the day she would finally go through with her plan!

She had to admit that Atsushi freak had thrown a real wrench in her plans. He interrupted what she was _sure_ was the destined moment between her and Sasuke. From the simple act of sharing a lunch, he would grow to love her, and eventually they'd become a real couple! But it was really weird after the whole being locked in cages thing. However, it had been a week since then and she was ready to pick up where she left off.

She took a deep breath and held the bento box in her hands proudly. Today was the first day of the rest of her life.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, would you like to share my lunch?" Wait, that wasn't her.

"No, he should share mine!" That wasn't her either.

"No mine!" And that whiny voice definitely wasn't her!

What was going on? What was that giant crowd doing around _her_ Sasuke-kun?

For his part, Sasuke didn't seem like he was enjoying the horde of females shoving bento boxes in his face. In fact, for the first time, he looked disturbed. After a second of this, he jumped into the tree he was sitting beside and then disappeared into the distance.

"Well, so much for that." Sakura cried to herself. There was no way he would ever let someone share lunch with him after _that_.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat before she shook herself out of her melancholy. This was just one day. She was still young and had a lot of time. Someday, she would do something to make herself stand out in his mind.

She _swore_ it.

* * *

A/N: Because Iruka is a Papa Wolf. I wanted to add a scene of him tracking the class down, but it didn't fit anywhere.

Also, during the chunin exams, no one really acted like the Byakugan/Shraingan were a surprise, but Shino's bugs _were_ so I went with that.

**To Genuinely-Unique:** You actually got it half of it right! Ino-Shika-Cho were together because I assume the village has always been teaming them up this way, because of their fathers and some hints dropped by the anime. And Sakura and Naruto have no clan or bloodline limit, and at the start of the series are pretty average despite Sakura being the smartest girl. Of course, once the series gets underway they leave everyone else in their dust lol. I also feel like your second guess is a lot more impressive than my decision. I think that's a bad sign XD.

**To princessbinas: **Well, no one is supposed to know about that. Especially not an outsider like Atsushi. The people who do know before the series, like Iruka and Mizuki, were there when it happened, and Atsushi was not. Interesting idea, though, someone trying to cage him up because of the kyubi.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing. Let me know if you enjoyed it, or how I can improve my writing!

- Destiny's Sweet Melody!


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